History of Surat

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The Mughal Sarai was a caravanserai built in 1644 CE during the Mughal rule. The clock tower was added in 1844 by the British.

Surat was founded in the

Battle of Surat. Later, the Dutch ruled the area and the city became known as Dutch Suratte
.

Medieval history

Surat in 1690

In the 12th and 15th centuries, Surat was plundered by Muslims.[3] In 1512, and again in 1530, Surat was ravaged by the Portuguese Empire. In 1514, the Portuguese traveler Duarte Barbosa described Surat as an important seaport, frequented by many ships from Malabar.[4]

Gujarat Sultanate

Several early European travellers to India make mentions about an influential Brahmin named Malik Gopi, who settled the region and founded the city.[5] It is possible that Gopi was a governor under the Gujarat Sultanate.[6] Notably, Gopi oversaw the construction of an artificial lake, known as Gopi Talav, for water storage in 1516. The area he developed was called Gopipura in his honour. For his contributions, Gopi was given the title Malik by the Sultan of Gujarat Muzaffar Shah II.[7] The town that Gopi developed was unnamed for long and after consulting astrologers he proposed to name it "Suraj" or "Suryapur". By 1520, the name of the city had become Surat[3] as the king, disliking the Hindu inclination of the name, altered it to "Surat", (alluding to the Arabic words for headings of the chapters of the Quran).[8] Gopi also finds mentions in Portuguese literature as "Lord of Surat and Bharuch".[7]

Mughal Empire

In 1573, Surat was conquered by the

Shivaji, with the first sacking occurring in 1664.[3][10]

Maratha Empire

Further information:
Battle of Surat

Surat was sacked by Marathas twice:[11] first in January 1664 and then in October 1670.[12]

Colonial period

Main article: Dutch Suratte
Dutch-Armenian Cemetery of Surat

During the colonial period, Surat became the emporium of India, exporting gold and cloth. Its major industries were shipbuilding and textile manufacture.

Gujaratis in Surat.[13] The British and Dutch both claimed control of the city, but in 1800, the British took control of Surat.[3][10] The Andrews Library
was built during this period.

In the great fire of 1837, more than 500 people died and caused the destruction of 9737 houses. It was the most destructive fire in the history of city.[14]

By the middle of the 19th century, Surat had become a stagnant city with about 80,000 inhabitants. When India's railways opened, the city started becoming prosperous again. Silks, cottons, brocades, and objects of gold and silver from Surat became famous and the ancient art of manufacturing fine muslin was revived.[3]

Post-independence

After Indian independence in 1947, several educational institutions were founded including the

NIT Surat and Veer Narmad South Gujarat University
.

See also

References

  1. New International Encyclopedia
    . Vol. XVIII. 1905. p. 714.
  2. ^ Malabari, Behramji (1882). Gujarat and the Gujaratis. pp. 11–37.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Surat". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. 6 August 2014. Archived from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  4. ^ Dames Mansel Longworth (1918). Book Of Duarte Barbosa. pp. 148–149.
  5. ^ Barros, João de (1778). Da Asia de João de Barros e de Diogo de Couto. Brandeis University Libraries. Lisboa : Na Regia officina typografica.
  6. ^ Della Valle, Pietro; Havers, G. (George); Grey, Edward (1892). The travels of Pietro della Valle in India : from the old English translation of 1664. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Library. London : Printed for the Hakluyt Society. p. 34.
  7. ^
    ISBN 9788120607149
    .
  8. ^ Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Volume 2. Government Central Press. 1877. p. 70.
  9. ^
    ISBN 978-0143102625
    .
  10. ^ a b c d "History of Surat". Archived from the original on 5 January 2012.
  11. ^ Varadarajan, Lotika Tr (1981). India In The 17th Century Vol. 1, Part. 1.
  12. ^ SARKAR, JADUNATH (1916). HISTORY OF AURANGZIB VOL. 3. M. C. SARKAR AND SONS LTD. KOLKATA.
  13. ISBN 978-9004172029. Archived
    from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  14. ^ Gujarat State Gazetteers: Surat District (2nd (Revised in 1962), 1st (1877) ed.). Ahmedabad: Directorate of Government Printing, Stationery and Publications, Gujarat State. 1962. pp. 976–978.
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